High Heels and Low Lifes (2001)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Mel Smith

Writers:

Kim Fuller (story) &
Georgia Pritchett (story) ...

Release Date:

20 July 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Comedy

Tagline:

Crime has never been so attractive

Plot:

A nurse eavesdrops with a friend on a cell phone conversation that describes a bank heist. She and the friend then conspire to blackmail the robbers for $2 million.

Plot Keywords:

Blackmail | Nurse | Attempted Murder | Bank Robbery | Diver's Watch

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Minnie Driver	...	Shannon
Mary McCormack	...	Frances
Kevin McNally	...	Mason
Mark Williams	...	Tremaine
Danny Dyer	...	Danny
Michael Gambon	...	Kerrigan
Darren Boyd	...	Ray
Simon Scardifield	...	Tony
Len Collin	...	Barry
Jane Partridge	...	Receptionist
Jason Griffiths	...	Paramedic
Ranjit Krishnamma	...	Doctor
Mark Meadows	...	Romantic actor
Ben Walden	...	Bloodied actor
Michael Attwell	...	Duty Sergeant (as Mike Attwell)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some violence and nudity.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Finland:K-15 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Norway:15 | Canada:AA

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Company:

Fragile Films

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Mel Smith]Pushing past Mason at the train station whilst he is trying to explain to the ticket collector why he has not got a ticket.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: On the train ride from London to Brighton there is an announcement "Next stop Haywards Heath" just before the train stops and the characters get of the train. The actors actually get off at Preston Park station (blurred sign visible).

Quotes:

Clubber: How 'bout a shag?
Frances: How about a punch in the mouth?

Movie Connections:

References "Mission: Impossible" (1966)

Soundtrack:

Just Kissed My Baby

Nice little film that too few people have seen.

Certainly a twist, two very attractive young ladies (Minnie Driver and Mary McCormack) overhear a phone conversation about a heist in London, decide to extort money to be used for buying medical equipment for the hospital where Driver is a nurse. Trouble starts when they underestimate how dangerous the crooks are. People are shot, a car is blown up, but although hurt and wounded no one actually dies. There's really no deep message here, but they end up getting the money while the crooks get caught. Mostly it is just fun watching the bungling and the funny interplay between the two ladies, and Michael Gambon is good as the droll crime boss who finally orders, "Bring me their testicles in a jar!" Fat chance. :-)

I saw it on DVD and the picture is remarkably clear and sharp. The Dolby 5.1 sound is fairly well done also. If I were to compare it to other British comedies, I thought "Snatch" and "Trainspotting" were better, but this one is better than such films as "Full Monty", "Smoking Barrels", "Brassed Off."